Nicholas James Needham: 9 Years for Kiddie Porn, Possibly 6 More for Touching 5 y.o.'s Penis

​Nicholas James Needham, who pleaded guilty in October to molesting a 5-year-old boy in an Orange mall restroom, was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison for a separate crime: possessing more than 200 images of kiddie porn.

The 28-year-old, who'd recently moved to Orange from Laguna Beach when he was arrested for the June 2010 incident at the Block of Orange (since renamed the Outlets at Orange), is expected to draw a six-year prison sentence at a March hearing in that case.Judge Cormac Carney of the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana ruled that both sentences will run concurrently and that Needham must register for life as a sex offender, which will also bar him for designated city and county parks and recreational facilities in Orange County.

The afternoon of June 15, 2010, Needham walked into a men's restroom at
the Block, cozied up
next to a 5-year-old boy he did not know, reached over the urinal and
touched the boy's penis. Needham left the restroom and the boy
immediately told his mother what happened. That led to an Orange Police
Department investigation that culminated with Needham's arrest.

A
search of Needham's residence produced an iPod containing thousands of
images and three videos of pornography featuring children from infancy
through early teens. He was originally charged in Orange County Superior Court with child porn possession counts, but that part of the case was later taken over by the U.S.
Attorney's office, which could push for a harsher punishment in federal court.

Needham pleaded guilty October 14 in Santa Ana Superior Court to one felony count of lewd acts on a child under 14. His sentencing is scheduled next Monday, March 5.